Caroline Adams, the 2013 American Honey Queen, will visit the Heritage Festival Saturday, Feb. 23, at The Eastern Shore Community College.

Caroline Adams, the 2013 American Honey Queen, will be a guest of the Beekeepers Guild of the Eastern Shore, and will participate in the Heritage Festival Saturday, Feb. 23, at Eastern Shore Community College. She will speak to attendees about the importance of honeybees to Virginia agriculture and how honeybees are worth billions in pollination.

She will also share information about the many uses for honey, including the powerful property of versatility. Adams also will make appearances in the community during her stay. She will be present for a meet and greet at The Barrier Islands Center during their annual Oyster Roast.

Adams is the 19-year-old daughter of Ned and Caryl Adams of Plano, Texas. She is a student at Collin College, majoring in American Sign Language. Adams began beekeeping through the Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association and maintains three beehives.

As the 2013 American Honey Queen, Adams serves as a national spokesperson on behalf of the American Beekeeping Federation, a trade organization representing beekeepers and honey producers throughout the United States.

The Honey Queen and Princess speak and promote in venues nationwide, and, as such Queen Caroline will travel throughout the United States during her year-long reign. Prior to being selected as the American Honey Queen, she served as the 2012 Texas Honey Queen. In this role, she promoted the honey industry at fairs, festivals and farmers' markets, via television and radio interviews, and in schools.

Honeybees are responsible for nearly one-third of our entire diet, in regards to the pollination services that they provide for a large majority of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. This amounts to nearly $19 billion per year of direct value from honeybee pollination to United States agriculture.